Millions of people around the world use the social media platform Instagram. People post photos, videos, and reels on this platform. Not only adults, but children also use this platform a lot. Recently, Meta has implemented new rules of privacy and parental control for Instagram accounts of children under 18. These changes have been made keeping in mind the growing concerns due to the negative effects of social media.

What is the new change?:  Meta has reported that now Instagram accounts of children under the age of 18 will be changed to "Teen Accounts". This means that these accounts will be private by default. The biggest advantage of this will be that now only those people will be able to message or tag the users of these accounts, whom they follow, or who are already connected with them. Also, strict steps have been taken regarding sensitive content. Now sensitive content settings will be made more restrictive so that children stay away from unwanted and harmful content.

Parents will get more convenience:  Meta has made another important change, in which more control has been given to the parents of children. If a child is under 16 years of age, he will be able to change the default settings only with the permission of his parents. Parents have also been given the facility to see who their children are talking to on Instagram and how much time they are spending. This feature will help parents monitor the activities of children so that children can use Instagram correctly and safely.

Cases filed against social media platforms: It is important to note that many cases have already been filed against big companies like Meta, ByteDance (owner of TikTok), and Google (owner of YouTube). These cases have been filed especially on behalf of children and school districts. In these, concerns have been raised about the addictive nature of social media. Last year, 33 US states filed a lawsuit against Meta, alleging that the company misled people about the dangers of its platform.

Purpose of the new rules:  The purpose of these new rules of Meta is to encourage children to use social media safely and healthily. Through these changes, Meta wants to ensure that children remain safe on social media platforms and avoid unwanted and harmful experiences.